Education
March 3, 2008Minister
Highlights Importance of Education and Key Education Initiatives
A solid education system is the vehicle that will
carry us to success. This is the message the Honourable Joan Burke,
Minister of Education, is bringing to teachers and students as the
province gears up to celebrate Education Week.
"The importance of education cannot be exaggerated.
All our success, both individual and as a province, depends on it," said
Minister Burke. "This year, the Provincial Government has allocated more
than $1 billion for education. This money has funded a whole array of
improvements in our schools. We want our classrooms to be places that
prepare all our students to succeed, no matter what path a student may
choose."
Minister Burke kicked off Education Week at St. Mary�s
Elementary in St. John�s today. The theme for this year�s Education Week
is Learn� Respect� Grow. Minister Burke congratulated the
Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers� Association for choosing a theme
that highlights respect as an important part of learning and
development.
The minister was pleased to learn that St. Mary�s
focused on respect on day one of Education Week. Respect and safety are
important parts of the Safe and Caring Schools policy, one of the
many initiatives undertaken in the education system in recent years. She
said that since 2004, $111 million has been allocated for major
maintenance and construction. Millions has been spent in such diverse
areas as skilled trades, science laboratories and phys ed equipment. The
financial burden of sending children to school has been reduced with the
elimination of school fees and the provision of free high school
textbooks. And the constant upgrading of the education system is
on-going with significant reviews of teacher allocations, the ISSP
program, the intermediate program and the math curriculum, that will
have major implications for the education system.
"With the education and opportunities we are
providing, students can go anywhere and be anything," said Minister
Burke, "The good news is that there are tremendous opportunities in this
province in exciting, developing fields, such as the oil and gas
industry, the mining industry and eco-tourism. There are also great
opportunities in the skilled trades. The Provincial Government is
working to ensure we�re creating a skilled labour force. We need an
education and training system that will be able to meet the demands of
industry and to grow our economy."
The minister stressed that there are a lot of success
stories coming out of classrooms and schools. "The high calibre of our
education system is evident by the many students who have gone on to be
leaders in so many areas. Our students are being offered scholarships,
going onto post-secondary education, and becoming the innovators and
achievers who are contributing to our province�s success. If you look
around, you can see that most success stories in this province had their
roots in the provincial education system," said the minister.
This year�s Education Week ceremonies at Mountain
Feild Academy are being recorded by the Department of Education�s Centre
for Distance Learning and Innovation and will be broadcast via the
Internet at a later date.
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Media contact:
Jacquelyn Howard
Director of Communications
Department of Education
709-729-0048, 689-2624
jacquelynhoward@gov.nl.ca
2008 03 03
11:00 a.m.